- •Introduction to Country Studies & Culture-oriented Linguistics
- •The main aims:
- •Geography of the usa
- •General characteristics
- •The relief of the country
- •The Grand Canyon from Moran Point
- •Cultural Regions of the usa
- •Climate
- •Extreme points
- •American society:
- •Diversity
- •Religious diversity
- •Immigration as the major source of diversity
- •Restrictions on immigration
- •Racism as another source of diversity
- •The political system of the usa
- •Introduction to the political system of the usa
- •The usa Constitution
- •Legislative branch
- •General Characteristics
- •General Characteristics
- •Climate
General Characteristics
American economy – is a free enterprise system, which allows private business the freedom to operate for profit with minimum government interference and regulation.
“Invisible hand” – Adam Smith: when individuals motivated by self-interest are allowed to pursue profit freely, the result is good for all society. (the self-regulating nature of the marketplace).
Gross Domestic Product:
The total market value of all the goods and services produced within the borders of a nation during a specified period
GDP - $14660 trillion (2010)
GDP growth 2,8%
GDP per capita - $47132
GDP by sector – agriculture 1,2%, industry 21,9%; services 76,9%
Inflation- 2,1% February 2011
Ingredients – natural resources, labor, manufacturing and investment
Capitalist mixed economy, fueled by abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity
Largest national GDP in the world – 4% less than the combined GDP of the European Union
The largest importer of goods and third largest exporter
Canada, China, Mexico, Japan and Germany – top trading partners
The leading export commodity – electrical machinery
The leading import – vehicles
Recession since December 2007
The private sector constitutes the bulk of the economy
The economy is postindustrial, with the service sector contributing 67,8% of GDP
Exports – commodities: capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products
Imports: crude oil and refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages
Coca-Cola and McDonald’s; New York Stock Exchange is the world’s largest by dollar volume; Wall Street
Industry
The USA is one of the leaders in:
Computer manufacturing
Steel manufacturing
Automobile
Oil production
Biotechnology
Chemical products
The world’s number one producer of electrical and nuclear energy, as well as liquid natural gas, sulfur, phosphates, and salt.
Agriculture
Income
Social welfare
Science and technology
Transportation
Energy
Lecture 5 17.05.11
Small businessnes
May be defined as a business with a small number of employees. The legal definition of “small” often varies by country and industry, but is generally under 100 employees in the US.
36% of all workers employed
55% of innovation
Agriculture:
A accounts for just under 1% of GDP
Farming – industrial and independent
Most important products: corn, cattle meat, cow’s milk, soybeans, wheat and other grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton, hen eggs, beef, pork, poultry, dairy products, forest products, fish
Distribution of household income
Lowest – less than $18500
Middle – between $34738 to $55331
Top – more than $88030
Social welfare
A social welfare provision refers to any governmental program which is aimed at providing a minimum level of income, service or other support fro disadvantaged groups such as the poor, elderly, disabled and students.
In 2006 more than 48 million Americans received approximately $539 billion in Social Security benefits.
Examples:
Compulsory superannuation
Pensions
Tax relief
Free or low cost nursing, medical and hospital care
Free or low cost public education
Financial aid to students attending academic institutions
Welfare money paid to persons who are unable to work.
Science and technology
A leader in scientific research and technological innovation since the late 19th century
In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was awarded the first US patent for the telephone
Thomas Edison – phonograph, the first long-lasting light bulb and movie camera
Nikola Tesla – alternating current
Wright brothers – flight
During WWII, the Manhattan Project developed nuclear weapons, ushering in the Atomic Age.
The Space race – advances in rocketry, materials science and computers
US developed ARPANET and INTERNET
Developer and grower of genetically modified food, biotech crops is in the USA – more than half of the world’s
Transportation:
In 2003 there were 759 autos per 1000 Americans
Average American adult spend 55 minutes every day per 47 km
Bicycle usage is minimal
5 largest airlines in the world by passengers – American Airlines-#1
In world – thirty busiest airports – 16 in America – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Energy
Energy market – 29000 terawatt hours per year
Energy consumption – 7,8 tons of oil per year per capita
40% - petroleum? 23% coal 22% natural gas
The US is the world’s largest consumer of petroleum
American National Character
American Values
“Freedom, mobility, individualism, opportunity, energy, pragmatism, progress, renewal, competition”
The concept of a n individual having control over his or her destiny
Freedom for all is an ideal that unifies Americans
Yet this ideal has not always corresponded to reality
God views all humans alike without regard to intelligence, physical condition or economic status
All citizens should play by the same rules, get equal punishments and rewards.
Opportunity for the individual:
Encouraged to develop their own goals and treat themselves as separate individuals responsible for their decisions and consequently lives
Child and Baby Care by Benjamin Spock: the parents’ objective in raising a child is to create a responsible, self-reliant individual who is ready to move out of the parents’ house and make his or her own way in life
Individualism in the US is understood as self-reliance and economic self-sufficiency.
Achievements and success. Self-help concept
What the person has independently accomplished or in what he or she has been successful
Money is valued for what it buys but also as a means to show one’s achievement
Americans love winners from nowhere and make it on their own
The self-made woman or man is still very much the ideal in 21st century America.
Work orientation
Honest work oа any kind
Work for survival and work before play
Resume earning as soon as possible
Failure in people’s mind is often connected with character defects rather than misfortune
“no nonsense” attitude towards life has created many people who have come to be known as workaholics
Action:
Any action is considered to be better than no act
People think that it is sinful to waste one’s time, to sit around doing nothing or to daydream
Free choice:
Absence of political and economic restraint and an opportunity to select from numerous options
Associated with the chance to escape the problems of the past and to create a new life in the New world one has chosen to live in
Education:
The key to opportunity, including financial security
What one learns outside the classroom is considered as important as what is learned in the classroom
Lifelong learning is valued which results in many adult and continuing education programs
Family:
To bring about the happiness of each individual family member
Values – love and respect for parents, as well for the members of the family
It is allowed for children to disagree, even argue with them – part of developing one’s independence.
Informality:
Casualness of American speech and dress
Wear jeans and T-shirts irrespectively of their position. They lean on walls or sit on the table when they talk.
Americans are one of the most informal and casual people in the world, even when compared to their near relative – the Western European
Patriotism:
Is revealed in national symbols and flags everywhere, the national anthem played at all sporting events
Demonstrated during national celebrations – Thanksgiving and Independence Day
Change and Progress:
Change is seen as an indisputably good condition
Change is linked to development, improvement, progress and growth
Americans “dream of a land in which life should be better, richer, and fuller for every man with opportunities for the each according to his abilities and achievement” (The Epic of America by J.T. Adams, 1931)
Geography of the UK